Button eyes, stuffing and laughter n all a part of the little &uot;Teddy Bear Workshop&uot; at New Day Senior Care.

Senior Care is an inpatient geriatric psychiatric unit housed at L.V. Stabler Memorial Hospital.

The unit treats a variety of psychiatric diagnoses in the elderly population.

Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) Heidi Smith, and Jeanette Findley, activity assistant, both play a major role in enhancing the leisure time of these patients.

&uot;We work on all kinds of stuff, depending on the individual patient,&uot; said Smith. &uot;We work on fine motor skills, attention span, and just being able to interact with others.&uot;

Patients on Senior Care have one day each week when they are encouraged to participate in stuffing Teddy Bears and other small stuffed animals. These animals are then given to the local ambulance service to be donated to the children who have had the misfortune to ride in an ambulance.

&uot;It really does something for our patients' self-esteem to know they are helping someone else even though they may be having a difficult time themselves,&uot; Findley said.

If anyone knows of a person in need of geriatric psychiatric services, they are encouraged to call Senior Care at L.V. Stabler Memorial Hospital at (334) 382-2676, Extension 2247.